Monday, July 16, 2012

Public Works protects itself from future ministers

Public Works said Saturday that action had been taken to address situations where the minister wants civil servants to meet with companies from the local riding, but didn't elaborate.

"Policies and procedures on this matter have been communicated to staff through training initiatives," said an emailed statement.

The department also said it introduced guidelines for meetings in 2011, which includes a section on what to do if the minister requests a meeting with a third-party. Public Works also developed an "organizational code of conduct" in 2012, which features "ethical scenarios," but it did not provide a copy of that document.

They should call it the Christian Paradis Commemorative Code of Conduct.

I wonder if they do role playing in those staff training initiatives. As in, remember the time when Paradis' office emailed all of us to get to the boardroom to meet those guys from his riding? Yeah, that's wrong. And please advise these guys when it happens next time. Or something along those lines.

Read on in the Canadian Press report for details of those lovely meetings held in the minister's and deputy minister's Ottawa boardrooms between companies from his riding and many public works civil servants, at the insistence of Paradis' office.

All this and yet Paradis remains as minister, making big judgments (see previous post). Reports like the above don't exactly instill confidence. Over to the grand shuffler...or should we say ditherer?